Siri and Alexa 'marry' in this Pride-themed campaign

Campaign from Vienna's tourist board highlights the Austrian capital as an LGBTQ+ destination ahead of EuroPride

By

Alexandra Jardine

Published On

Apr 25, 2019

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Siri and Alexa might be rivals, but it seems they're in love.

Ahead of Vienna's EuroPride celebration in June, the Austrian capital is highlighting itself as an LGBTQ+ destination with an AI-themed stunt in which the two AI assistants "get married."

Working with German agency Serviceplan, digital studio Plan.net and Vangardist magazine, the Vienna Tourist Board programmed the Apple and Amazon devices not only to speak to each other but also to exchange vows in a special ceremony at the city's Belvedere Castle. The audience included Austrian LGBTQ+ celebrities.

The video of the stunt is being promoted on social media. Alexander Nagel, creative director of Serviceplan Campaign, says in a statement: "It was fascinating to see how emotionally the wedding guests reacted to the marriage vows between Siri and Alexa. In the campaign, we were able to use technology in a skillful way to set an example for more humanity and equality."

To make it possible, Plan.net developed a special Alexa Skill called "The Pride Skill," which is officially available in the Amazon Skill Store—so that anyone else who wants to get Siri and Alexa to exchange vows can do it too. There's also a campaign site at www.siriandalexa.com that provides additional content about the couple, including wedding pictures and several short videos that imagine the entire love story of Siri and Alexa, from the first date to the honeymoon.